Barcelona could reportedly include 32-year-old Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic in the deal to sign Kalidou Koulibaly from Serie A giants Napoli.
According to reputed Italian journalist Daniele Longo, Serie A giants Napoli might look to secure the services of Miralem Pjanic if they sell Kalidou Koulibaly to Barcelona in the summer transfer window. The Catalan giants are unwilling to pay €30 million to secure the services of the Senegalese defender.
Kalidou Koulibaly has come leaps and bounds since joining Napoli from KRC Genk in July 2014. The 30-year-old has been a stalwart for the Partenopei in the last eight years, establishing himself as one of the best defenders in Serie A during his ongoing stint at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
On the other hand, Miralem Pjanic enjoyed the best years of his career in Serie A, first making an impression during his spell with AS Roma before achieving tangible success at Juventus. But since joining Barcelona from Juventus two years ago, the 32-year-old has seen his stock plummet.
The Bosnian midfielder barely made an impression for Barcelona in the 2020/21 season, and the Catalan giants hauled him off on loan to Besiktas last summer. Pjanic has fared decently for the Turkish giants, turning out 26 times while chipping in with four assists. But Besiktas will not sign the veteran midfielder permanently, meaning he will return to Barcelona before looking for a new adventure in the summer.
Napoli could offer Pjanic a way out of his misery at FC Barcelona, with the Partenopei keen on bringing him back to Italy. An opportunity has now emerged for the Serie A giants, as Barcelona’s interest in Koulibaly offers them a way to secure the services of the 32-year-old in a part-exchange deal.
Barcelona will unlikely pay €30 million to sign Koulibaly in the summer transfer window. But the Catalan giants are keen to launch the offensive to land the Senegalese international. So offering Pjanic in the deal to land Koulibaly could make sense for Barcelona.
But Luciano Spalletti is reportedly keen on having Koulibaly at his disposal next season and is pushing Napoli to extend the 30-year-old’s stay at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. However, Aurelio de Laurentiis has insisted that Koulibaly can leave if he wants to, and getting Pjanic in the deal to sell the experienced defender might work out well for all parties involved.
